General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

2

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

.1 Brass case; metal parts; glass/.2 cardboard

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

5.0 cm

Width

4.9 cm

Height

3.4 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Motorized Ground Transportation

Category

Automotive parts

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

HOYT

Country

United States of America

State/Province

New Hampshire

City

Penacook

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

C. 1934 +

Canada

From collection of automobile parts and servicing EQ acquired by Mr. T. H. Oliver, father of donor, during career in automobile servicing. After working at Willys-Overland & Fairbankks-Morse in Toronto, and in Auto Garage in Aurora, in 1931 he began his own business, one part of which involved automotive electrical servicing.

Function

Instrument used to measure and indicate rate of flow of electric current in amperes. This type was used in automobiles, mounted on the dashboard to indicate current levels when generator was charging battery and also when feeding current to lighting and accessory systems (discharging) Ref. 1

Technical

Hoyt Electrical Instrument Works Inc. was established in 1904 and is a manufacturing company that produces a variety of electrical equipment ("About Us"). The ammeter was a dashboard instrument that became a standard feature in the 1920s (Gardiner et al: 38). Free-standing totally enclosed meters of this type were commonly used in early automobiles with either wooden or metal dashboards. They were necessary because batteries and generators were often unreliable, requiring constant maintenance. However, meters themselves were delicate and subject to damage (KE – notes). Ammeters measure electric current in amperes, which is a unit of measurement named after the French physicist Andre-Marie Ampere (Britannica Educational Publishing: 215).

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

.1 Grey scale marked "DISCHARGE" & "CHARGE" & LETTERING READING "AMPERES"/.2 Orange lettering on box ends reading"Hoyt [SCRIPT]/ Ammeter for Ford/ Type 44"; ON FRONT & BACK ""Hoyt [SCRIPT/ 44/ MADE IN U.S.A."; ON SIDES ""Hoyt [SCRIPT]/ METER/ TYPE 44/ for FORD/ Burton-Rogers/ CO./ BOSTON, MASS./ National Distributors"

Missing

Complete/ front flap separated from box

Finish

.1 Black meter face; colourless transparent glass; chrome plated body/.2 white & orange

Decoration

.2 Orange edging on each side, logo on front & back